Who is Tony Robbins (for those of you who do not know this Titan)? What does he do? Most importantly what can he do for me?!
Well, if you haven’t seen books like “Awaken the Giant Within”, “Unlimited Power” or most recently “Unshakeable” (to name just a few), you may be living under a rock. I say that with all the love in my heart and a little jest because Tony has been doing the circuit since the 80s and has established an incredible international presence, as a speaker, author, life coach, entrepreneur and philanthropist (Feeding America). His influence is nothing short of incredible.
Tony is candidly known as the “Father” of coaching. This personal coaching concept had Larry King asking him, “What is this coach thing?” Tony created the concept of a personal success “coach”. Beforehand, preachers, priests, and politicians were the only ones (I remember) actively rallying the masses. It was a new twist to have a coach for self-improvement purposes. Tony has made his name by making incredible shifts in the lives of presidents, athletes, and a myriad of other influential people and the non-famous. Smokers become non-smokers, deadbeats become achievers, and athletes exceed world records; the examples are endless.
In addition to his books, Tony has a huge selection of audio collections, YouTube videos (free), and seminars you can catch that emphasize personal power and how to create momentum in any facet of your life. Tony covers it all and is a powerhouse motivational speaker. Being a fan of his books, I just had to see him live in action when I noticed tickets for “Unleash the Power Within” in nearby San Jose.
So what does Tony coach? Basically, everything in life. Need help with your career? Tony covers it. How about finances? Check. Personal relationships? Check. Health? You bet. I might add, he doesn’t just cover these topics, he saturates them with concrete facts, studies, and his personal experiences helping clients. It’s fascinating just to listen even if you have no intention of applying the information taught.
Over 12,000 people attended UPW in San Jose. All walks of life; every race, religion, sex, and belief system attend Tony’s seminars, which is inspiring in itself. Why is Tony so popular with so many people from every background? To put it plainly, everyone wants to self-improve. Isn’t that a beautiful reason for so many people to come together? Tony is inspiring, powerful and most importantly relatable which creates shifts in people’s lives. His own life stories are beyond extraordinary and have you reevaluating your own limiting belief systems.
This conference is not for the weak minded or spirited for that matter. The common thread in varying backgrounds is the willingness to put in some elbow grease to exceed your current standards. Just signing up for a Tony Robbins event acknowledges someone ready to take a hard look at their life and what they want out of it.
Thursday morning, we dove right into an elevated “state” with dancing, music, jumping and exercises to change the body’s physiology. Physical movement is just the start of the experience. When Tony entered, the stadium ignited. His motivational talks are nothing short of incredible. Every word packed a punch with intense meaning. There were times I wish I could shout, “Hold that thought, I’m still writing!” or “Can you repeat that again?” or how about, “Wait… what? I have to think about what you just said!”. Let’s just say everyone was sitting on the edge of their seats and taking copious notes. Tons of charged information is to be expected which makes for a lot to download and process.
The incredible thing is I did have shifts in what I thought I was capable of. Parameters changed and the out-of-reach now seems doable. Normally, I would be too tired, hungry or burnt out to keep going after hours upon hours of information. Tony teaches you to go beyond your limits and defeat the odds. Who wouldn’t want to learn these tips to apply to their lives? Habits and studies of the most exceptional people that have graced the planet? Yes, I’m listening… and taking notes (oh, and fist pumping at the same time).
Just when I thought the day was done (on the first day at 12:30 am), going home to my hotel was not exactly on the agenda. Try fire walking. You heard me, FIRE WALKING (i.e. walking on a long stretch of hot fiery coals). After a pep talk from Tony, thousands of people skeptically herded outside. I couldn’t see anything at first, just droves and droves of people. I must say it made me feel like a human sacrifice! Chanting and clapping helped to get into a state that actually made me walk on something that could burn me to the Nth degree! The overwhelming amount of people mislead me to think the hot coals were far away. Wrong! Before I knew it, someone stepped aside and lo-and-behold, there they were: lanes and lanes and lanes of piping hot coals. I wasn’t expecting it so soon! Then as if God was playing a game with me, a wheel barrel approached and dumped even more fresh hot coals! Was this a joke? Nope! Was I ready?! YES! Yes, I was! I made my move, I yelled, “YES, YES, YES!” and just went for it! Oddly, I wasn’t scared, which was in itself interesting to behold. Looking at the sky and chanting my mantra I safely made it to the other side with long direct strides. I walked on fire. Shock ensued, but the effect was lasting. I can walk on fire… that means I can do anything.
I earned my stripes and was able to go to my hotel to catch some shut-eye. The fire walking was only the start of the challenging days ahead (in the most positive of ways). The conference continued each day with fascinating talks, powerful exercises, laughter, tears, meditations and guided visualizations. Breakthroughs and shifts occurred within and all around me.
To say UPW affected my psyche and life is an understatement. I learned so much and am so appreciative of this experience and the impact. It is truly hard to express everything that I received from attending UPW. It was that powerfully packed and motivational. One has to experience this for themselves. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to set higher standards, get out of a rut (you’ll be thrown out of it!), or to be truly inspired. Reach within and pull out the incredible you that’s hidden under layers of self-doubt. Unleash it! You never know what can be accomplished unless you “Step up!” and say, “YES!”.
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